1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a plug and play device and a control method therefor, and more particularly to a plug and play device and an access control method therefor.
2. Description of the Related Art
The computer industry has recently experienced amazing developments. Interfaces such as USB and IEEE 1394 that support hot plug-in functions have been developed, and this feature is partly responsible for a great increase in their popularity. The plug and play device is explained as follows. After the plug and play device is connected to the host, the host may automatically search a proper driver and then install the driver. After installation of the driver is finished, the user may use this device, thus increasing the convenience of the hardware apparatus. It should be noted that the above-mentioned host might be a personal computer (PC) or a server.
The installation of a plug and play device is quite easy, but user privacy and data protection is lowered accordingly. For example, if a user lost a hard disk with a USB interface, any person who obtains the hard disk may install the hard disk in his/her computer and freely access the data stored in the hard disk. Therefore, the privacy of personal data no longer exists. Consequently, it is very important to create limitations in the plug and play device to prevent unauthorized users from accessing the device.